The most valuable blogging tips I wish I’d known when I started
When you tell someone you have a blog they’re usually intrigued and amused. Most people see it as an entertaining hobby or passion project. But the truth is a lot more goes into blogging than you’d think and most of it is behind the scenes. Unless you set out to be a casual blogger, the fantasy of it is often leagues apart from the reality.
Even though I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I first began blogging, I wouldn’t change it for the world. Visions From Avalon allows me to express myself creatively in a way that brings me so much joy. It makes me feel like I can be of service and provide valuable, high quality content that just might change someone’s life. Blogging feeds my soul and allows me to shine my light.
After 2 years I’ve been around the block. And it’s my sincere hope that the hard-won knowledge I’ve accrued can benefit you too, whether you’re a seasoned blogger or you’re thinking about starting a blog of your very own. You’d be surprised to discover how small, impactful techniques can completely transform your process. I still feel as though there’s always something new to learn. Without further ado, here are my top blogging tips.
1. Stick to a Schedule– One of the first and most important lessons I learned as a blogger was the value of sticking to a schedule. When you first start out and are still figuring out the best approach it’s easy to play fast and loose, creating posts when ‘the muse strikes you.’ Unfortunately, if you want to see results, it pays to be consistent. Is there anything worse than staring at a blinking cursor on your open Word document, praying that a brilliant idea will strike from the heavens? Having an editorial calendar all planned out a year in advance takes a ton of pressure off and gives you the confidence you need to succeed.
You can apply this same strategy to your social media content and newsletters as well and even tie everything into a monthly theme. Of course, I always leave room for a little spontaneity. Sometimes I’ll read something that sparks my curiosity or I’ll receive an intuitive download that begs to be shared in the form of a new post. There’s always room to add more content to your calendar, or shift things around, but t feels good to have a baseline schedule and structure to fall back on.
2. Create an Idea Bank– This goes hand and hand with point #1, but any serious blogger should aim to build up their idea bank for circumstances when you’re not feeling buoyed by the wings of inspiration or in the off chance when your creative well runs dry. A good starting point is to identify 6 pillars of content. Ideally, these should align with topics that best serve your audience and the type of transformational journey you want to take them on.
For example, if I was a business blogger helping 20 something’s quite their 9-5 and start their own business my pillars might look like:
- email marketing
- social media strategies
- copywriting
- ways of generating income
- branding/design
- systems
From there, you can generate ideas for posts that educate your dream client about that particular topic so that they can integrate these skills and build a wildly successful business.
3. Batching– When you’re baking chocolate chip cookies, do you bake them 1 at a time aka 24 batches? Heck no! That would be totally inefficient and time consuming. You can apply the same strategy you use to bake cookies to check off infinitely more tasks on your to-do list each day. We call this technique ‘batching’ and out of all my blogging tips, this one will cause your productivity to positively skyrocket. So next time you need to get something done- writing blog posts, taking pictures, emailing your readers, writing a newsletter, etc., why not make your life easier and double, triple or even octuple that amount?
Try it and see what happens! For example, the first Monday of every month I strive to knock out 4-5 blog posts in one day so that I can rest easy and focus my energy on other projects for the rest of the month. Batching has the added benefit of ensuring that sneaky self-sabotage behaviors like procrastination never have a chance to trip you up. Nearly every area of your life can benefit from the batching method.
4. Success Doesn’t Happen Overnight– Friend, this has been the most difficult lesson for me to learn. I’m not gonna lie, it’s not easy to show up every week for two years and have (almost) zero world accolades or public recognition to speak of. Sometimes blogging can feel like shouting into the abyss and its bedfellows are loneliness, disappointment and a sinking heart. I don’t say this to curb your enthusiasm or discourage you from pursuing what is ultimately a deeply fulfilling pursuit. I just think it’s important to know what to expect before you dive in headfirst.
This is one of those situations where slow and steady wins the race. Blogging is not a get-rich-quick scheme and in fact, many seasoned bloggers will advise you to steer clear of this career if your intention is to make heaps of money. Now, this is not to say that success is out of reach. It does however, require Saturnian principles like dedication, patience and commitment before you see the seeds you plant begin to bloom. From what I’ve read, it takes about 3-5 years for the average blog to really take off and build a steady audience.
Occasionally, you will receive enthusiastic emails from happy, grateful readers who’ve stumbled upon your blog and feel inspired to sing your praises. These little love notes will make your heart flutter and put a smile on your face. Save them in a special folder for a rainy day when you begin to doubt your commitment to sparkle motion (a shameless Donnie Darko reference). If you take away one message from this post, let it be this- if you’re going to blog, do it for yourself first, not for anyone else.
5. Bloggers Wear Many Hats– So you think you’re a blogger now, huh? Well I’ve got news for you. In addition to writing content, you are now the proud owner of a gazillion other job titles, including (but not limited to): web designer, marketing maven, editor, customer service, graphic designer, social media manager and so much more! If there was one thing I wish I knew when I first started out, it’s this- blogging is only the tip of the iceberg.
Whew! If that seems like a lot, that’s because it is! And some days, it can feel like entirely too much. Welcome to the blogosphere, we’re happy to have you. When I tell people I have a blog I have to laugh a little because it seems like an insubstantial title for such a multi-faceted job. And for a DIY blogger such as myself (no fancy courses or formal training) it was seriously overwhelming in the beginning. But if you’re up for the challenge and open to learning while you go, you’ll absolutely love it.
6. Know your Audience– For the longest time, I wrote to please myself and followed my curiosity wherever it roamed. It wasn’t until recently that I realized that when you’re writing for ‘everyone,’ you’re not truly helping anyone. It’s like that phrase ‘jack of all trades, master of none.’ By niche-ing down and focusing on the demographic you ultimately want to serve, your blog will take a quantum leap. Suddenly all the pieces will fall into place because all of your content is filtered through the lens of the following question- how is this generating change for my dream client?
Writing with a specific client avatar in mind also makes it easier for your readers to quickly recognize whether or not they identify as a member of your target audience or not. Ask yourself- what are your readers currently going through? What emotions are they feeling? What thoughts are circulating through their minds? Use this information as a springboard to help your ideal reader experience a profound transformation that you guide them through via your content, products and newsletters.
Get intimately familiar with your dream client. You want to know everything you can about them from their favorite website, to their exercise habits to what thoughts and fears keep them up at night. In this way you can easily hone into their wants and needs and support them every step of the way.
7. Structuring Blog Posts– The difference between the quality of my first ever blog post vs the content I post now is almost laughable. I still cringe a little when I read some of my old posts with their overly formal style. And that’s okay! The only way to get better is through practice and experience. It can take time to develop your own unique voice. So for now, just surrender to the beautiful messiness of the process.
What I wish someone had told me in the beginning was to always use some kind of structure in your blog posts. You want to take your readers by the hand and warmly guide them through the change you’ve created for them. What you don’t want to do is drop them into the deep end of confusing word vomit and pray to God they can swim.
So how can you create a pleasant and memorable experience for your readers using structure?
- Use headings for every 3-5 paragraphs so that your reader can effortlessly identify the important points and are encouraged to keep reading. This breaks your content up into friendly, manageable chunks and safeguards against skim readers.
- Why not add a picture for each heading while you’re at it to really lock in their attention? People are helpless where pretty pictures are concerned.
- Okay, so I know you’re not (likely) in school anymore and you’re probably not eager to revisit those years, but the hook-intro-body-conclusion formula you learned did have its merits. I would encourage you to implement this structure whenever possible to maximize the flow and overall reading experience.
- With my natal Mercury in Aries my brain operates more like a magpie chasing shiny objects than a wizened professor making coherent, evidence-based points. Mind maps were my golden ticket to writing posts with an orderly structure and logical ideas. Consider experimenting with mind maps if you want to create blog posts that are easy to digest and understand. You can find out more about how to use them here.
Do you have any helpful blogging tips or strategies that you don’t see mentioned here? Please share it with me in the comments below.
